Certain aircraft models are made with common structural parts, such as the cockpit, the forward fuse, the rear barrel, and the tail cone. Common structural parts are intended to be installed seamlessly with any aircraft model. Within these structural parts, systems are installed which are interconnected through wiring harnesses for power and/or signals. These systems, through pin programming, are configured for a specific aircraft model on which they are installed. The structural parts are shipped with harnesses already installed and therefore, any advantage gained from having common structural parts between aircraft models is lost due to the differences in the harness configuration, which are adapted for the systems to which they will be connected.
One existing solution to this problem is for a technician to dismantle the harness connector prior to connecting it to a system, and short specific pins to align the system with the aircraft model. This is time consuming and requires specific skilled labour. Another solution is to provide strapping boxes where the wiring to program the various systems all converges and is shorted through switches in the strapping box. This solution is heavy, complex, and brings about safety issues.
Therefore, there is a need to address some of these issues.